Andersonville resident Anthony Hamilton stopped by the voting supersite location in the Loop Monday to drop off his mail-in ballot. He said he likes to fill out his ballot early to make sure his vote counts.
“I live in the ninth district and just there’s 10 people running for the ninth district. And so right now it feels really important to have somebody who feels like they’re speaking to as many issues as that you, like, are concerned about as possible.”
Hamilton, 33, was one of the many voters across the Chicago area turning out to vote, as locations in all 50 wards and in 55 locations in suburban Cook County opened ahead of the March 17 primary election. Additional early voting sites also opened in the collar counties.
Marisel Hernandez, the chairwoman of the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, was joined by Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon for a news conference to update voters ahead of the primary. Officials said that they urged voters to vote early to avoid issues.
“You never know how the weather will be in the beginning of March, or what circumstances may come your way preventing you from voting as you originally planned,” Hernandez said. “We are urging Chicago voters to vote early and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with getting your civic duty out of the way.”
Bobbi Ball, of Streeterville, came by the supersite to drop off her mail in ballot on Monday. Issues most important to her included affordability, healthcare and employment.
“I think we would like to go to the grocery store and to be able to afford to pay for the food that’s in it, so that we could eat,” Ball, 75, said. “It would be good for people who have lost their health insurance to get that back… And it would be good to pay attention to some of the errors that are facing our country now.”
Over 170,500 applications to vote by mail had been submitted in Chicago and over 26,000 votes have already been cast, Hernandez said.
Compared to the 2022 primary election, officials said they are seeing an increase in the number of votes. At this point in the June 2022 primary, she said about 11,000 votes had been cast.
“Voters look at the climate, in our country, and in our state and city, at the time of election,” Hernandez said.
She also attributed the increase in votes to the number of open positions in which incumbents are not running for re-election.
Voters have been able to vote early at the Chicago Board of Elections office at 69 W. Washington St. and at the downtown supersite at 137 S. State St. since February 12.
“No matter where you live in the city, whether it’s a site closest to your home, to school, or your place of work, you can pick any early voting site to cast your ballot,” Hernandez said.
Find a full list of early voting sites here. Voters who want to vote by mail can still sign up for a mail-in ballot. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. March 12.